Chapter 6 English Literature of the Romantic Age I.Introduction
1. Historical Background
2. Literary Overview: Romanticism
Characteristics of Romanticism:
（1） The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings
（2） The creation of a world of imagination
（3） The return to nature for material
（4） Sympathy with the humble and glorification of the commonplace
（5） Emphasis upon the expression of individual genius
（6） The return to Milton and the Elizabethans for literary models
（7） The interest in old stories and medieval romances
（8） A sense of melancholy and loneliness
（9） The rebellious spirit
II.Pre-Romantics
1. Robert Burns
（1） Life: French Revolution
（2） Features of poetry
a. Burns is chiefly remembered for his songs written in the Scottish dialect.
b. His poems are usually devoid of artificial ornament and have a great charm of simplicity.
c. His poems are especially appreciated for their musical effect.
d. His political and satirical poems are noted for his passionate love for freedom and fiery sentiments of hatred against tyranny.
（3） Significance of his poetry
His poetry marks an epoch in the history of English literature. They suggested that the spirit of the Romantic revival was embodied in this obscure ploughman. Love, humour, pathos, the response to nature – all the poetic qualities that touch the human heart are in his poems, which marked the sunrise of another day – the day of Romanticism.
2. William Blake
（1） life: French Revolution
（2） works.
l Songs of Innocence
l Songs of Experience
（3） features
a. sympathy with the French Revolution
b. hatred for 18th century conformity and social institution
c. attitude of revolt against authority
d. strong protest against restrictive codes
（4） his influence
Blake is often regarded as a symbolist and mystic, and he has exerted a great influence on twentieth century writers. His peculiarities of thought and imaginative vision have in many ways proved far more congenial to the 20th century than they were to the 19th.
III.Romantic Poets of the first generation
1. Introduction
2. William Wordsworth: representative poet, chief spokesman of Romantic poetry
（1） Life:
a.love nature;
b.Cambridge;
c.tour to France;
d.French revolution;
e.Dorathy;
f. The Lake District;
g.friend of Coleridge;
h.conservative after revolution.
（2） works:
a. the Lyrical Ballads （preface）: significance
b. The Prelude: a biographical poem.
c. the other poems
（3） Features of his poems.
a.Theme
A constant theme of his poetry was the growth of the human spirit through the natural description with expressions of inward states of mind.
b.characteristics of style.
His poems are characterized by a sympathy with the poor, simple peasants, and a passionate love of nature.
3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: poet and critic
（1） Life:
a.Cambridge;
b.friend with Southey and Wordsworth;
c.taking opium.
（2） works.
l The fall of Robespierre
l The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
l Kubla Khan
l Biographia Literaria
（3） Biographia Literaria.
（4） His criticism
He was one of the first critics to give close critical attention to language. In both poetry and criticism, his work is outstanding, but it is typical of him that his critical work is very scattered and disorganized.
IV.Romantic Poets of the Second Generation.
1. Introduction
2. George Gordon Byron
（1） Life:
a.Cambridge, published poems and reviews;
b.a tour of Europe and the East;
c.left England;
d.friend with Shelley;
e.worked in Greece: national hero;
f. radical and sympathetic with French Revolution.
（2） Works.
l Don Juan
l When We Two Parted
l She Walks in Beauty
（3） Byronic Hero.
Byron introduced into English poetry a new style of character, which as often been referred to as “Byronic Hero” of “satanic spirit”. People imagined that they saw something of Byron himself in these strange figures of rebels, pirates, and desperate adventurers.
（4） Poetic style: loose, fluent and vivid
3. Percy Bysshe Shelley: poet and critic
（1） Life:
a.aristocratic family;
b.rebellious heart;
c.Oxford;
d.Irish national liberation Movement;
e.disciple of William Godwin;
f. marriage with Harriet, and Marry;
g.left England and wandered in EUrope, died in Italy;
h.radical and sympathetic with the French revolution;
i. Friend with Byron
（2） works: two types – violent reformer and wanderer
（3） Characteristics of poems.
a.pursuit of a better society;
b.radian beauty;
c. superb artistry: imagination.
（4） Defense of Poetry.
4. John Keats.
（1） Life:
a.from a poor family;
b.Cockney School;
c.friend with Byron and Shelley;
d.attacked by the conservatives and died in Italy.
（2） works.
（3） Characteristics of poems
a.loved beauty;
b.seeking refuge in an idealistic world of illusions and dreams.
V. Novelists of the Romantic Age.
1. Water Scott. Novelist and poet
（1） Life:
a.Scotland;
b.university of Edindurgh;
c.poem to novel;
d.unsuccessful publishing firm;
e.great contribution: historical novel.
（2） three groups of novels
（3） Features of his novels.
（4） his influence.
2. Jane Austen
（1） Life:
a.country clergyman;
b.uneventful life, domestic duties;
（2） works.
（3） features of her writings.
Austen's novels are britened by their witty conversation and omnipresent humour. Her stories are skillfully woven together; her plots never leave the path of realism, and have always been sensible. Her language shines with an exquisite touch of lively gracefulness, elegant and refined, but never showy. She herself compared her work to a fine engraving made up on a little piece of ivory only two inches square. The comparison is true. The ivory surface is small enough, but the lady who made the drawings of human life on it was a real artist.
（4） rationalism, neoclassicism, romanticism and realism.
VI.Familiar Essays.
1. Introduction
2. Charles Lamb: essayist and critic
（1） life:
a.poor family;
b.friend of Coleridge;
c.sister Mary;
d.worked in the East India House;
e.a miserable life;
f. a man of mild character.
g.a Romanticist of the city.
（2） works: Essays of Elia. Three groups.
（3） Features.
a. The most striking feature of his essays is his humour.
b. Lamb was especially fond of old writers.
c. His essays are intensely personal.
d. He was a romanticist.
